What former Johnson County Manager Hannes Zacharias learned from a 2,000 mile kayak trip

A 2,000 mile float trip down the Arkansas and Mississippi Rivers taught former Johnson County Manager Hannes Zacharias a few lessons.

People are nice, generous and kind, no matter where you go. The drought really has dried up many parts of the Arkansas as it cuts through the Midwest from the Rocky Mountains to the Mississippi. And dehydration is definitely a thing.

After being unexpectedly ousted from his position late last year, Zacharias decided it was time to fulfill a promise he made to himself more than 40 years ago: that he would one day kayak the entire length of the Arkansas River, and down the Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico.

The 64-year-old had taken a similar but partial trip in 1976 from his hometown of Dodge City, Kan., to New Orleans. This summer, the journey took a little more than three months, beginning May 26 at the Tennessee Pass near Leadville, Colo., and ending Sept. 3, where the Mississippi feeds into the Gulf of Mexico. People often asked him what was different about his two journeys on the same river, more than 40 years apart? The river is still beautiful, and the people are still nice, Zacharias said. But today, there is less water to enjoy. And, of course, everyone has a smartphone and is constantly connected.